I also think there is a limit to critical exegesis when it comes to the spirituality and mysticism of the new religious movements of Ueshibas time. ... you find all sorts of familiar cultural patterns, but they tend to meander and intermingle in a strange sort of way that, to me, somehow cannot explain fully what he was (apparently) about.

This is exactly the same problem when looking at texts like the gospel of John or other christian texts. It is only that generations of scholars have done their work so we know more about it and have a broad discussion about the different issues.
And every theologican learns hebrew, greek, latin. We study history. We do linguistics. ... We learn how to study the old texts.

When it comes to the thoughts of Ueshiba first we have no clear control text. Most people are not able to read or speak the original language, i.e. Japanese. The historical knowledge meagre. And so on. Most of us are just dilletantes.

So it is not methodological problem, but a problem of our scholarship. I think.